The FBI warns that criminals are spoofing the IC3 site to steal personal data and commit fraud targeting cybercrime reporters.
The FBI warned that attackers are spoofing the official Crime Complaint Center (IC3) website to steal personal data and commit financial fraud, targeting users who report cybercrimes.
The fake websites mimic the real IC3 domain using slight changes in spelling or top-level domains, tricking users into submitting sensitive details like names, addresses, emails, and banking info. Victims may unknowingly land on these sites while trying to file cybercrime complaints, exposing them to fraud and scams. The bureau urges public to verify URLs carefully when accessing IC3 services.
“The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is providing this Public Service Announcement (PSA) to warn that threat actors are spoofing the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) government website.” reads the FBI’s Public Service Announcement.”Threat actors create spoofed websites often by slightly altering characteristics of legitimate website domains, with the purpose of gathering personally identifiable information entered by a user into the site, including name, home address, phone number, email address, and banking information.”
The Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) is a partnership between the FBI and the National White Collar Crime Center (NW3C). It serves as the primary platform in the U.S. for reporting cybercrime and internet-related fraud.
The FBI advises users to be cautious when accessing the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) website. To stay safe, they should type www.ic3.gov directly into their browser rather than relying on search engines, since sponsored results often lead to fraudulent sites. It is essential to verify that the URL ends in .gov and to avoid clicking on suspicious links or low-quality imitations. Users should never share sensitive information unless they are certain of the site’s legitimacy. Importantly, IC3 does not ask for payments, does not partner with companies to recover lost funds, and has no social media accounts.
“The FBI requests potential victims report any interactions with websites or individuals impersonating IC3 to your local FBI Field Office or IC3 at www.ic3.gov.” concludes the PSA.
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